Gardening Tips

There are tons of gardening tricks and tips that make gardening lots of fun. You’d be surprised at how a few simple household ingredients can transform your garden. The best part? All of these gardening tips use natural ingredients, free of pesticides and other toxic chemicals. Surely, these tips will make your garden better. Check out the list below to get started.

Egg Shell Fertilizer

Egg shells are great natural fertilizers that give plants plenty of nutrients. They are rich in calcium, which your plants can benefit a lot from. They are also a very effective deterrent for pests, like slugs and snails. The sharp edges of eggshells just make it hard for these pests to chew on your plants. It’s best to grind your eggshells into a powder to put directly in your garden to give your plants a boost.

Eggshell Starters

Get your garden started early by planting your seeds in eggshells indoors before the weather permits outdoor growth. There are several reasons why eggshells are the perfect pot for this, but the biggest is that they are cheap (free really), full of calcium to give your seedlings that extra boost, and easy to plant in the garden when ready (the shell can stay on!).

Start Seeds Indoors

For greater growing success it’s best to start your seeds indoors planted at the correct time. There are so many benefits to starting your plants from seed indoors in a controlled environment versus buying transplants to put in your garden. When buying plants from a local nursery, you will only have a couple of varieties to choose from. The great thing about seeds is that there are dozens upon dozens of different varieties to choose from. By far, seeds are way cheaper than plants. You can buy a pack of seeds for less than $2 and have over 100 seeds in the pack, as opposed to paying a few bucks per plant from the nursery. Once you learn how to raise your own plants from seed, as well as saving seed from year to year, you’ll no longer depend upon somebody else to start your garden for you. There’s definitely a learning curve when it comes to raising your plants from seed, so learning now, before you depend on your garden for survival, is a really good idea.

Epsom Salt In The Garden

Epsom salt has so many uses, including aiding in a beautiful and healthy garden. It’s rich in magnesium and sulfate which are crucial to plant life. For potted plants, mix a couple of tablespoons of the salt into your watering can once or twice a month. You can also sprinkle it in your garden’s soil to help your seeds germinate better. Tomatoes and peppers benefit the most because they both tend to have a magnesium deficiency. Add a tablespoon or so in with the soil when first planting, and then sprinkle more into the soil once mature.

Fertilize Your Plants

Anytime you are boiling your vegetables save the vegetable cooking water. The water has a lot of nutrients that your garden thrives on. Wait for the water to cool down first, and then use it to “fertilize” your garden or potted plants. This makes for a green and happy garden with water you would normally just put down the sink drain.

Use Coffee Grounds In Your Garden

Utilize those coffee grounds! They make an excellent fertilizer, compost….and so much more! It adds nutrients to your soil, makes texture and drainage better, and keeps pests from devouring your veggies. These are the fundamental benefits you can get from coffee grounds.

Line Pots With Coffee Filters

A simple solution to the mess your indoor pots make every time you water them is to place a coffee filter in the bottom of the pot. Coffee filters allow the water to still drain, but keep the dirt contained.

Homemade Weed Killer

To make this homemade weed kill mix 1 gallon of white vinegar, 1 cup of table salt and 1 tablespoon of dawn dish soap in a spray bottle. These three combined every-day household ingredients are great for getting rid of weeds. Even if you love working in the yard, chances are, pulling weeds just gets in the way of all the fun. You’ve probably already got all of these ingredients handy in the kitchen, too.

*Be careful because this solution can be harmful to grass as well, so it’s best used in sidewalk cracks, landscape borders, and other areas where grass, flowers, and other plants won’t be affected. Also, if you spray them when they are exposed to direct sunlight, it works its magic a lot faster.

Mulch To Keep Weeds Down

Weeding is a good way to visit the garden regularly but no one really enjoys weeding the garden. It must be done to ensure the weeds are not taking nutrients from your vegetables to ensure big bountiful harvests. One of the best ways to keep weeds down is mulching. Whether you use straw, hay, wood chips, grass clippings, leaves, or pine needles. Make sure you put down a nice thick layer. This helps keep away weeds, moderates temperatures, holds in moisture, limits evaporation, and reduces splash on plant leaves keeping them cleaner and reducing fungi. As a bonus mulch naturally composts in place putting humus back into the soil.

When To Water The Garden

It is best to water early in the morning, as early as possible really. If you can’t water in the morning aim to water when you arrive home in the evening, around 4-7 pm. Watering late at night invites mildew and fungus. In the hot afternoon, much of your water can be lost to wind and evaporation. Watering is especially important for newly planted material. When you water the soil surrounding the plant’s root zone you are encouraging root growth. This root growth helps the plant to establish itself in the new location. Over watering is worse than under watering. It is easier to revive a dry plant than try to dry out drowned roots.

(Founder) Michael is an avid hunter that enjoys sharing his experience to help others learn about hunting. He lives and breathes hunting and the outdoor lifestyle and wants to educate and entertain hunting enthusiasts all over the world!